The Firehouse 5

Friendly staff and patrons!
This place definitely has the underground vibe. Don’t expect something fancy, and appreciate it for its authenticity.
I come here for blues, and I’ve taken a few Kizomba lessons. I hope to try some of their other classes sometime.

I have just recently begun blues dancing and it all started right here. I started attending Wednesday night for Blues Fusion and I’ve been hooked ever since. I absolutely LOVE the crowd at Firehouse 5. The instructors were down– to– earth, fun, and fantastic my first time ever learning blues. Every dancing partner had some wealth of knowledge, encouragement, or advice to share with me. I have met so many great friends and exciting individuals here.
Can’t beat the price, can’t resist the atmosphere, and can’t wipe the smile that comes to my face.
I finally found a place where I can express myself through the art of dancing and feel completely comfortable performing, showing off, and learning, and having fun!
I’ve found a second home and I’ll be coming back every chance I get. Totally worth the commute.

I love the variety of classes offered here. I’ve taken Zumba on Saturday mornings and a variety of burlesque classes. I’m hoping to try the cardio kickboxing class soon. It’s nothing fancy but it’s a good size space with mirrors.
I would like it if they had a bit more lighting that could be turned on or off depending on the need of the class.

The Firehouse 5 is a ‘true-​bluesy’ venue, pulsating with rhythmic sounds and filled with some of the snazziest gents and ladies you shall ever come to know. If you were contemplating attending, do so. If you were not… change your mind.

This review is for Argentine Tango lessons and dancing. I recommend this studio to anyone wishing to learn the complexities and joys of Argentine tango, not an easy dance to learn at first and, like many art forms, comes in layers as you progress. Having had little previous dance experience, the music drew me to the dance initially since I am a professional musician. I’ve been coming here for about three months to make myself into a passable tango lead. Co-​owner and tango instructor, Chris Peake welcomed me from the beginning. Backstory: I came in once last year and got intimidated by this dance and didn’t return until a couple months ago to give it another shot. You’ll enjoy Chris. He is encouraging, warm, and is a great dancer.
It is an intimate studio, with a comfortable clubhouse setup, and everyone who dances here is friendly, welcoming, and encouraging. This is important because the first three or four evenings were difficult and like a threshold crossing. You need to «shake hands with yourself», to be patient and gentle the first part of your journey. It took me a week to love dancing, two months to feel at ease and a third feeling natural and making my own artistic decisions as leader. Taking Michelle Gorre’s «Tango Technique» course (Tuesdays at 7 p.m.), is a must as she puts you through your paces to train your body mechanics so you move better and learn what tango movements are. Like many things worth learning tango is a long term process and you should feel emboldened to get in touch with your tango self. For men, there is nothing quite like dancing close with a woman you know only remotely (or perhaps your gay partner), and women, moving your body alongside your partner as the follower.
Thursdays is «Tango Explorations»: 6:30 Beginners, 7:30 Intermediate (if you stick around for fun, you may even pick up some of the more challenging moves), and 8:30, best of all, is the Practica. Mistakes are not a problem, they are your teacher. Now dance!
Dan Prinz teaches blues and swing dancing and is co-​owner. I haven’t yet taken his classes but love the guy, huge personality. Soon enough… I’m focusing on tango now. I’m an addict and I’m not going to rehab.

Great community, awesome teachers and workshops. They host various forms of dancing through the week, I frequent the Blues and Blues Fusion dancing. It is a very embracing group of folks and there are always theme dances planned out that are often the most enthusiastic of the crowd. Say hi to the owner, Dan. :D

Cool place for a dance studio and daily evenings of social dancing! I came here for blues fusion night on Sunday. 5 bucks to get in lesson at 7 pm and free dancing till midnight or so. It was fun learning something new and there were a bunch of newbies that night. Loved the music selection, everyone was welcoming and friendly. It was similar yet different to the usual salsa club scene I’m used to. I didn’t stay very long because I was tired but I’d be down to try it again and get better at learning the dance form.
No free water or water fountaint, there are waterbottles available but you have to pay so bring a lil cash if you don’t want to be parched!

This review is only for Sunday Blues Night.
First of all… wtf? blues dancing??! I was couldn’t believe that it existed. Youtube’d it and decided its something that I could try. I mean I’ve done some ballroom before. Took the lesson, which was pretty cool. On the night I went there was a total of about 8 people with 3 girls and 5 guys, so the ladies just rotated. It was pretty daunting once the lesson was over to try and go out on my own, but blues dancing is so «freestyle» that you could basically do whatever you want.
The crowd here is anywhere from 18 to 60s. Most I found were in their 20’s and there is plenty of people to dance with. Not only that but they are FRIENDLY!!! The girls ask the guys to dance — everyone is really there just to have a good time. I would have definitely gone against if I was in the area. Now I’ll have to find a cool Sunday hangout spot like that in the bay :(

I find it strange that I am the first one to give Firehouse a bad review, but here goes…
The back room is too small to teach a group lesson in. So please don’t try to fit six+ couples in to learn West Coast Swing.
Teachers should spend more time teaching, than is spent goofing off and laughing at each other. As well, both teachers were not very good at consistently breaking down steps, so something that should have taken ten minutes took twenty, and we made the next class late.
The sound system was AWFUL. I do not want to dance to blown out speakers and someone’s trashy hacked music.
In summation, we paid $ 16 as a couple, which got us in for the night. Considering that was two lessons and open dance floor after, I can’t complain. However, the first lesson got a thumbs-​down from me, and the second lesson was meant for much more advanced dancers, and it just didn’t feel comfortable at any point. We left early. We won’t be back unless they fix the sound system, and then the open dance floor might be worth it.

Great place to go dancing! For beginners or advanced dancers. I just started dancing a couple months ago and after taking just a few lessons I feel very comfortable out on the floor dancing with anyone. So far I have only gone on Sundays to the Blues nights, $ 5 for a lesson at 7pm and then dance until 11pm. Fantastic deal! I love going here!
UPDATE: It has been over a year since I posted this review. I still love this place! Great place to go partner dancing!

Went for Blues dancing on Sunday 8pm, $ 5 for lesson and dancing. What a deal! Crowd is slightly younger and less creepy than some other dance lesson venues. I’m going back sometime.

Firehouse 5 is awesome! It has opened up a new world to me. I started taking lessons in April for blues and West Coast Swing. I have made many new friends and when I walk through the doors I feel like I’m walking into my 2^nd home. The instructors are great, friendly and make you feel conferable, anyone can join in the lessons, from very very beginner (as was I in April) to those looking to brush up on their skills, which is helpful for us beginners in the lesson! I go on Wed Nights for WCS and Sunday nights for Blues, lessons are only $ 5.00 which pays for the night of dancing as well.

I love this place. I got introduced to Argentine tango a while ago and got hooked. This is a great place to take lessons and dance. Great people, awesome instructors, lots of dancing and music.
On Thursdays Chris and Michelle teach tango, they are amazing. You pay $ 10 at the door (cash only) but can stay for both Beginner and Intermediate classes. Practica after. There is wine and snacks/​food put out later. Nobody is going home, music and dancing deep into the night. No need to bring a dancing partner, just your dancing shoes!
Fridays is Michael, the tango master, at 7:30pm. This is a smaller but closely knit group of people that will welcome you with open arms. You pay $ 12, 1^st hour beginner 2^nd hour Intermediate/​Advanced. Practica after.
There is just so much love, music, and dancing associated with this place for me. It is truly a jewel in this city.

This is such a wonderful and fun place to dance. There is so much selection to try from Salsa to Tango to Blues. Everyone is very friendly it feels like more of a clubhouse than a stuck up dance venue. And I’m a sucker for places with really comfy couches.